Kobayashi secures WEC seat with Ferrari

11 March 2013 – Kamui Kobayashi has secured a deal to contest the 2013 World Endurance Championship (WEC) with Ferrari’s factory AF Corse squad, it was announced on Monday. The Japanese driver, who was ousted from his Sauber Formula 1 seat at the end of the 2012 campaign, becomes the first Asian to race for the Italian marque.

Although his team-mate is yet to be confirmed, Kobayashi will race a Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 in the LMGTE Pro class. The 26-year-old's series debut will come at Silverstone in April, while he is also due to take part in the blue riband 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"It’s an honour for me to become part of the Ferrari family," explained Kobayashi, who claimed the seat after a successful test at MotorLand Aragón last month. "It will be the first time that I compete in endurance races in a championship featuring GT cars. I can’t wait to start working with AF Corse and I really hope I can aim for the title."

Of the eight circuits on the 2013 WEC calendar, six currently host a Formula 1 race: Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Interlagos, Austin, Shanghai and Sakhir.

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